A two-time Man of the Year nominee, Garett Bolles was selected by the Broncos in the first round (20th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. Since then Bolles has established himself as one of the league's most durable, dependable, and technically sound linemen. A cornerstone of the Broncos' offense, Bolles has started over 125 games and consistently anchors the blindside with consistency and toughness.
BOLLES' 2025 COMMUNITY WORK
In 2025, Garett Bolles elevated his impact to a new level of depth and sustainability by transforming his personal experiences into systemic change in special education. This year, Bolles partnered with renowned speech-language pathologist Jennie Bjorem to launch the Bjorem & Bolles (B&B) Apraxia Education Initiative and funded the opening of a first-of-its-kind education and training center in Colorado.
Inspired by his son Kingston's diagnosis with Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS), Bolles turned a family challenge into a statewide opportunity for learning and advocacy. The new center serves as a hub for training educators, speech-language pathologists, and families to better identify, understand, and support children with speech or language-based learning differences. By focusing on education and workforce development rather than short-term support, Bolles has created an infrastructure for impact, improving early intervention outcomes for children across Colorado and beyond.
CAS is a motor speech disorder in which a child's brain has difficulty coordinating the precise muscle movements needed to produce clear, consistent speech. Children with CAS know what they want to say, but their brain struggles to plan and sequence the movements of the mouth to form words correctly. CAS is neurological in origin and differs from other speech delays or articulation disorders because it specifically affects the planning and programming of speech movements, not comprehension or muscle strength.
Because of its low prevalence (2 children per 1,000) and complexity, CAS is often misdiagnosed or underdiagnosed, which is why education and training, such as through the B&B Initiative, are vital to improving early detection and support for affected children and their families.
The Training Center represents a major step forward in Bolles' evolution from longtime mentor to changemaker. His work with Bjorem bridges the gap between awareness and action, equipping professionals with the knowledge and tools to reach thousands of students each year. The project earned Bolles recognition as the NFLPA Week 1 Community MVP (2025), highlighting how his leadership drives meaningful, scalable change.
Beyond the Apraxia Initiative, Bolles continued to engage youth in 2025 through his juvenile justice counseling programs and free youth football camps, reinforcing his commitment to accessibility, inclusion, and mentorship.
Taken together, these efforts reflect a multi-tiered commitment: direct service to youth through camps; individualized impact through long-term, consistent mentorship; and strategic, infrastructure-focused investments via the apraxia training center.
Bolles is very literally using his platform and voice to give a voice to the next generation.
More information about the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award presented by Nationwide can be found at www.nfl.com/manoftheyear